While driving along a gravel road in the Lindsay area, I came upon the little hamlet of Cresswell of which there is no mention on my road map.

Near here is the Trans Canada Trail which serves snowmobilers in winter and cyclists and hikers at other times.

On the trail, I spotted a Painted Turtle. This smallish, brightly-coloured turtle is one of the most common in Southern Ontario. As soon as the turtle saw me, it withdrew into its shell; a clever defense mechanism.

Here are the findings of a research paper which details the stomach contents of 86 Painted Turtles:

• algae, moss, stems, leaves, seeds, grass, slugs, snails, mussels, dragon-flies, crickets, bugs, larvae of butterflies and moths, beetles, rose-bugs, wasps, ants, and fragments of fish and mammals.

Some photos that I have taken in the past:

Nearby botany:

Birds that I was able to photograph:

NATURE POETRY

The bluebird knows it is April, and soars toward the Sun and sings.    – Eben Eugene Rexford

Miles Hearn